Bloomington sheep theft: St. Paul woman charged with rustling ram
Generic photo of sheep. Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman was taken to jail on rustling and livestock theft charges after she was found walking with a sheep in Bloomington.
What we know
A criminal complaint states police responded to reports of a man and a woman walking with a dog and a sheep on Old Shakopee Road East around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The woman said she paid $200 for the sheep, but officers reported seeing burs all over her jacket and the sheep, charging documents state.
The man she was with told police the woman stepped over the fence to a farm, put a leash on the sheep and then pulled the sheep through the fence.
The man added she "pulled so hard that the sheep was choking," according to the complaint.
Police then spoke to an employee and owner of the nearby farm. The complaint states both confirmed the sheep belonged to the farm and had not been sold to the woman found with it.
The farm employee and owner said the sheep, a breeding hair ram, is worth about $500, the complaint states.
The woman, Mandy Kay Bower, 42, of St. Paul, is charged with one count of rustling and livestock theft following the incident.
What comes next
Bower was taken to jail, and her first appearance in court is set for Wednesday afternoon.
She faces felony theft charges due to the value of the ram.